Donald Trump's Letter to Joe Biden: What We Know

Donald Trump and Joe Biden's public exchanges have never revealed even so much as a friendly rivalry, with vicious barbs and accusations of corruption on both sides.

Trump has referred to Biden as "very stupid" and "impaired," while Biden has called his rival America's first racist president.

However, during a recent interview, Trump recalled writing kind sentiments in a letter addressed to the incoming president back in 2021.

Newsweek has gathered together what information is available about what seemed to be an uncharacteristically courteous exchange.

What Did Trump's Letter to Biden Say?

Trump's conduct at the time of the handover will be more widely remembered for January 6, but during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. the former president said he had left a "nice note" to Biden.

Asked by Kristen Welker for a sense of what the letter said, Trump replied "You know, it's interesting. He actually said it's up to me to do, and I actually think it's up to him to do.

"I left him a note. I think it was very—it was a nice note. I took a lot of time in thinking about it. I'd love him to do a great job, even if it was very bad politically."

It's not the first time that the letter has been discussed.

Shortly after his inauguration, Joe Biden recalled receiving the letter, describing it as "very generous".

"The president wrote a very generous letter," Biden said. "Because it was private, I won't talk about it until I talk to him. But it was generous."

Despite the generosity, Trump did not attend Biden's inauguration, nor did he directly refer to the president during a farewell address at Joint Base Andrews in 2021.

Trump told a group of his supporters that he wished "the new administration great luck and great success. I think they'll have great success. They have the foundation to do something really spectacular." Trump concluded his speech by telling the crowd to "have a good life."

The contents of the note still haven't been revealed, although it will eventually be handed over to the National Archives.

The Moment Biden Read Trump's Note

Then White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told actor Rob Lowe during a podcast in 2022 that the "script from where I could see was very lovely."

"He [Biden] kind of looked around for the letter and read the letter while I was sitting there, which was just kind of a remarkable moment," Psaki said.

"No, he didn't read aloud. He read it to himself.

"And he is such a classy guy, whether people agree with his politics or not, that he didn't even convey it to us in that moment of what the letter said, he kind of read the letter consumed in himself."

Psaki said the letter was "long" adding that the "script from where I could see was very lovely. But I don't know what was in the letter, but yeah, that was one of my early memories."

The tradition of handwritten presidential transition messages began at the end of the administration of President Ronald Reagan in 1989. Reagan left incoming President George H.W. Bush a note on stationery that said, "Don't let the turkeys get you down."

"You'll have moments when you want to use this particular stationery," Reagan wrote. "Well go to it."

In his 2017 letter to Trump, President Barack Obama encouraged Trump to remember that presidents serve as "guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions—like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties—that our forebears fought and bled for."